Leslie Weatherford tells the story of a sailor who dove into the water to rescue a drowning boy. A few days later the boy and his mom were shopping and the boy saw the sailor and told his mom that he was the man who had saved his life. His mother walked up to the young man and asked if he was, indeed, the one who had pulled her son out of the water. The sailor confirmed that he was the one. He then anticipated a warm embrace, a heartfelt “thank you,” and perhaps a reward, though he didn’t seek any of those things. What he got was far different: a question, not an affirmation. Said the boy’s mother, “My son had a new cap on that day when he fell into the water. You were right there. Did you find it?”

People are funny. The man saved the boy’s life, and all his mother seemed to care about was a $10 cap. But think about it. A couple thousand years ago, Jesus dove into the lake of sin to pull you out. He did it to save your life forever. In response, do you thank him? Or do you ask for things as meaningless as a $10 cap? Let me ask it a bit differently. Do you spend more time seeking God’s hand or God’s face? Jesus risked his life to save yours. Is it too much to whisper a simple “thank you”? The apostle Paul said it like this. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).